Thomas Haden Church

Famous for his role as the loveable nitwit mechanic, Lowell Mather, on the long-running sitcom, "Wings" (NBC, 1990-97), actor Thomas Haden Church overcame being typecast in similar roles by turning ou...
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Columbia Pictures via Everett Collection
Whether it’s Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield swinging from building to building, Spider-Man has faced some formidable opponents. Some of these villains have stayed true to their comic book form while others have fallen flat. Here are our rankings from the Spider-Man trilogy and The Amazing Spider-Man.
5. Sandman
In theory this could have been great. But the execution felt forced. Thomas Haden Church takes on the role of Flint Marko, a criminal who steps into a particle accelerator and can now control sand. Kind of a lame power, right? The tension feels forced because after two sequels we find out it was Marko who killed Uncle Ben, who was Peter Parker’s father figure. Sandman teams up with Venom, but their efforts fall short. Spider-Man wouldn’t get killed, come on now.
4. Green Goblin
Played expertly by Willem Dafoe, Green Goblin is a deranged bad guy who poses a major threat to Spider-Man. His powers stay true to the comics, tossing pumpkin bombs and flying through the air with his Glider. The Goblin is really millionaire Norman Osborn, who eventually finds out that the webslinger is really Peter Parker. As a major villain, Green Goblin is a threat, but not a threat to the rest of the world.
3. Venom
Another victim of the lackluster Spider-Man 3, Venom had potential to be the top villain. Unfortunately, this Venom was not faithful to the comic book at all. Venom is really Eddie Brock, a beefy journalist who possess incredible strength and that’s before an alien symbiote invades his body. Topher Grace is not buff at all. Where was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for this casting? Venom is still a credible bad guy with his alien superpowers. Like the Goblin, he doesn’t pose a huge threat to society.
2. Lizard
His strength and speed are extremely dangerous and he has a nefarious plan to change humans into lizards. Rhys Ifans plays Dr. Curtis Connors, who transforms into a giant lizard thanks to a science experiment gone bad. Lizard climbs near the top of this list because his grand scheme is a big threat to all of humanity, not just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
1. Dr. Octopus
Watch out! As long as Doc Ock is around, the world could be doomed. Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina) is the toughest enemy in the Spider-Man films universe. Dangerous mechanical arms make sure Doc can match strength with anybody and his experiments with nuclear fusion reach out-of-control levels that threaten the existence of every human. Otto Octavius had to be stopped — this proved to be Spidey’s most difficult task.

Sideways star Thomas Haden Church has stayed loyal to a film project produced by Paul Newman's goddaughter - because the late actor personally asked him to get involved. Newman reached out to him before he passed away in 2008 and Haden Church is still committed to bringing Lucky Them, a film his hero was passionate about, to the screen.
He tells BlogTalkRadio.com, "It's with Toni Collette, and Johnny Depp is playing a small part as a rock star. I'm the sidekick guy that goes along with Toni to shoot a documentary about her finding this elusive guy, who may not be alive.
"I got involved with that movie several years ago when Paul Newman wrote me a letter, because his goddaughter, Emily Wachtel, is the producer and when Paul passed away (his wife) Joanne Woodward wrote me a letter asking if I would stay connected to the film.
"I got back to my ranch in the summer of 2006 and I was going through the caller ID on my phone and there was a 'P Newman' and an area code I didn't recognise, so I thought it was a phone solicitor. Then the place where my packages are collected called me and said, 'There's a Fedex with P Newman, Newmans Own on it.' It was the script and a lovely letter and I actually have both letters from he and Joanne framed together.
"He wrote, 'Hey, loved you in Sideways. Here's a movie that my goddaughter is producing, so could you give it a read. If you don't like it just throw it away! No hard feelings but call me anytime.' He passed away two years after that and I never had a chance to meet with him.
"They invited me a couple of times to come to Connecticut but there was something going on, so sadly I never got to meet him."

These past nine years have seen the Tribeca Film Festival transform from a patriotic passion project of Robert DeNiro into one of the most exciting annual purveyors of new film. Tribeca has upheld the flavor of independent cinema with countless small and engaging projects, but has hardly fallen victim to these limitations — just last year, the festival debuted The Avengers, as big a movie as one can imagine. The variety maintains with 2013's slate, kicking off this week. No matter what breed of cinephile you might be, the Tribeca slate has something to be excited over...
You wanna laugh?Indie fests aren’t all tearjerkers and documentaries. Tribeca ’13 has a healthy platter of comedy in store. A few attractive entries: Adult World, in which aspiring writer Emma Roberts works at a sex shop while taking literary advice from an eccentric John Cusack; A Case of You, which stars Justin Long as a young man who lies on his Internet dating profile (is there any alternative, really?) to impress barista Evan Rachel Wood; and the wicked G.B.F., which highlights the competition of two vapid popular teens to win the camaraderie of their high school’s first openly gay student.
Not into that? Fine. As a wise man once said, “Laughs are cheap. I’m going for gasps.” We’ve got you covered:If your preferred movie-watching position is at the edge of your seat, Tribeca’s list of thrillers, horrors, and crime dramas will peak interest: holding up the fantastical, there’s Byzantium, in which mother-daughter pair Gemma Arteron and Saoirse Ronan (doesn’t it seem like they’d be more appropriately cast as sisters?) fend off a ganglion of undead monsters; an emotional punch invades the genre with A Single Shot, in which a Sam Rockwell vies desperately to reunite with his family after being wrongfull accused of murder, and in Whitewash, which sees Thomas Haden Church circling the drain in the wake of an accidental killing; finally, things get their darkest in Big Bad Wolves, when two vigilantes (one with a badge) take the apprehension of an alleged serial killer into their own hands.
Would you prefer tears?There’s nothing like a good cry and there’s no deficit of sob stories at Tribeca: kick off with the troubled father-son story of At Any Price, in which corn farmer Dennis Quaid comes to blows with his son Zac Efron, the contentious economy of the corn industry, and his own compulsive pride; there’s some hard-hitting material to be found in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which illustrates a young Pakistani man’s personal and professional experiences in America following the events of Sept. 11; and in the especially promising Bottled Up, we have Melissa Leo, tackling a new gritty story (hopefully without those dreadful Oscar pleas this time around) about the complicated journey attached to devoting one’s heart to a drug addict.
How about Paul Rudd? You like Paul Rudd, right?Especially when he’s hanging out with some other guy? We’ve got two for you, then. Take your pick:Almost Christmas, in which smooth-talking Rudd teams up with conman and cuckold Paul Giamatti in the get-rich-quick game, or Prince Avalanche, in which highway worker Rudd teams up with his nubile brother-in-law Emile Hirsch in the doing-nothing-for-hours-on-end game. Both strong candidates.
Well you must like cat videos…The documentary Lil Bub &amp; Friendz proves that America’s kitten GIF fixation has extended far and beyond an at-work distraction. It is now a full-on, film-inspiring religion.
You like your documentary subjects to be a little more… sophisticated?Okay, hot shot. How’s Gore freakin’ Vidal? Burr Steers, Christopher Hitchens and more lend their takes on the superhuman American writer in the doc Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia.
Finally, the one we're all waiting for:Ladies and gentlemen, Before Midnight, the third (and possibly final... but who knows anymore) chapter of Richard Linklater's story of romance involving a garrulous Ethan Hawke and a scathing Julie Delpy. When the trio introduced the small but unstoppable Before Sunrise in 1995, it invoked something fresh and humane. When the follow-up Before Sunset hit in 2004, fans were doused by the amazement of the sequel's ability to not only live up to, but to perhaps completely outdo its predecessor. And word on the street is, Before Midnight is more than worthy of its company among these heartrending gems. Tribeca might have a lot of gold lined up this year, but nothing more exciting than Before Midnight.
More:2013 Tribeca Includes a Paul Rudd Buddy Comedy and a 'Star Wars' Remake'Before Midnight' Completes a Trilogy at Sundance, Questions True LoveSXSW's 'Prince Avalanche' Is a Hilarious, Touching Odd Couple Story
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The Hollywood legend died in 2008 at the age of 83 after a reported battle with cancer, and his final film project, Lucky Them, subsequently stalled.
Newman was an executive producer on the movie, about a female music journalist sent to interview her rock star ex-boyfriend, and planned to make a cameo appearance.
After his death, his widow, Joanne Woodward, decided to help move the project forward, taking over her late husband's role as executive producer and assembling a cast which included Australian actress Toni Collette in the lead role.
It has now emerged the movie has gone into production and started filming in Seattle, Washington on Saturday (26Jan13), according to Deadline.com.
The start date was extra poignant for the cast and crew as the day would have marked Newman's 88th birthday.
Collette appears in the movie alongside Spider-Man 3 star Thomas Haden Church, Oliver Platt and The Help's Ahna O'Reilly.

The Sideways star was having lunch at top eaterie Soho House when a fellow diner began coughing and spluttering as he struggled to gasp for air.
Church immediately sprung into action and successfully performed the Heimlich Maneuver on the unidentified male as other shocked customers looked on.
His heroic efforts earned Church the praise of staff at the venue and they rewarded him by waiving the cost of his meal, but, when quizzed about the incident on Friday (17Aug12), the humble actor simply brushed it off.
He told TMZ.com, "I really don't wanna talk about it, it's like, too sensational. I'm just glad the dude's OK..."

"I actually have a pet deer... I have thousands of acres and I have this deer that started hanging around the headquarters of the ranch a couple of years ago, and about a month ago she had a couple of fawns. I don't know who the father is." Sideways star Thomas Haden Church on his odd pet.

One of the several major differences between the upcoming movie The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Andrew Garfield as the web-slinging hero, and its Tobey Maguire predecessors is the villain. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man series covered five different villains: The Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), the "New" or "Second" Goblin (James Franco), Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Venom (Topher Grace) and the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church). The Amazing Spider-Man opts instead for another classic villain from the comics: The Lizard, to be played by Rhys Ifans.
The Lizard's true identity is Curtis Connors, an army surgeon who lost his right arm at war and spent the next chapter of his life working obsessively to create a formula that would allow reptilian limb generation for humans. Obviously, things went awry (as they often do in these situations), and he became the supervillain known as the Lizard.
Check out the below shots of The Amazing Spider-Man's central baddie below, and catch the movie in theaters on July 3.
More:
Amazing Spider-Man Poster: Andrew Garfield is Right at Home in New York City
Amazing Spider-Man: Japanese Trailer Reveals Black &amp; White Backstory
Donald Glover in Amazing Spider-Man: Honor or Insult?
[Apple]

The X-Men Origins: Wolverine star's parents were keen martial artists and they regularly enrolled the young Collins into fight training classes in Japan while she was growing up.
She was able to draw on her karate skills for her role as Dejah Thoris, the Princess of Helium, in the upcoming sci-fi adventure - but the actress admits her years of karate became more of a burden then a blessing on set.
She tells WENN, "I spent my summers in Japan where my parents were getting their fourth and fifth and sixth don in Shito Ryu, which is an Okinawan style of karate...
"Karate fizzled out because of acting and this is the first time that the two have married and it was really emotional for me at the beginning. It was hard to bring back the memories from my childhood; it was a childlike feeling that I had to turn into a forceful, feminine and adult (feeling) and to not hurt people was a real challenge. It's completely a part of me now."
Collins stars alongside Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Bryan Cranston and Taylor Kitsch as the title character, a former American Civil War captain who is transported to Mars.

The Wire star appears in the Disney sci-fi epic alongside Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, James Purefoy and Taylor Kitsch as the titular character, an American Civil War captain who is transported to Mars.
West admits there was not much to do in between filming in the picturesque state - so the cast made their own fun back at their motel.
He tells WENN, "Off set was a dream. We were in the middle of Utah in this extraordinary landscape. We were all staying in the same motel. It was like a frathouse. There's nothing for miles around and so we were a bunch of Brits with a bunch of Americans taking advantage of the motel; it was a party given by myself and James Purefoy."
And West had an unexpected vacation when he was called back to redo certain scenes: "During reshoots I had a four day holiday in Utah!"

With spring well on its way, it's getting time to start thinking about the Easter gifts you're hoping to receive and/or give out. If you're looking for ideas, nothing says "fun-loving" quite like Cameron Crowe's We Bought A Zoo, which is arriving on Blu-ray and DVD April 3. The all-star cast includes Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, and Thomas Haden Church in a sweet-natured tale about a guy who decides to change his family's lives forever by moving away from the hassles of the city and into the arms of nature by buying a zoo. It's fun, uplifting and great to put on during an Easter get together with the family.
And if you're one who loves to hear all about the creative process behind the camera, the Blu-ray combo pack includes commentary with director Cameron Crowe himself, along with J.B. Smoove (The Sitter), and film editor Mark Livolsi. If you're really looking for something with a ton of extra features, this film has got it in spades. The Blu-ray is loaded with over 2½ hours of special features that includes a hilarious gag reel, four behind-the-scenes featurettes, and 20 deleted/extended scenes in the film such as:
Elevator EmpathyA Gift From RonnieLife is ElementalThank You, RhondaRosie Names Her PeacocksQuick LearnerJust Can’t Get a Handle On ItSo Much BloodshedBuster is LooseUtterly Free / Nobody DiedI Make My Own HoursThe Stuff is AliveWe’re Living The StoryDisaffected YouthIt’s Their Zoo, TooGoodnight Big MacSuch a ClichéSorry About the RainBenjamin’s Big SpeechOpening Day
All-in-all, a great Easter gift which is sure to put a smile on anyone's face. Remember to buy it in stores starting on April 3!

Summary

Famous for his role as the loveable nitwit mechanic, Lowell Mather, on the long-running sitcom, "Wings" (NBC, 1990-97), actor Thomas Haden Church overcame being typecast in similar roles by turning out quality performances in acclaimed films like "Sideways" (2004) and major blockbusters like "Spider-Man 3" (2007). In fact, it was his turn as a selfish, washed-up actor in "Sideways" that heralded a big comeback for Church, who previously had fallen off the radar after "Wings" had gone off the air. While on the popular sitcom, he began to segue into features with prominent supporting turns as one of the Clanton brothers killed at the O.K. Corral in "Tombstone" (1993). Church left "Wings" before the show's end to star on his own series, "Ned & Stacey" (Fox, 1995-97) opposite Debra Messing, but the sitcom - despite critical acclaim - was underappreciated by audiences. After co-starring in "The Specials" (2000) and "3000 Miles to Graceland" (2001), Church revived his career with his Oscar-nominated performance in "Sideways," which led to turns in "Idiocracy" (2006), "Smart People" (2008), "Imagine That" (2009) and "Easy A" (2010), as well as voice roles in "Charlotte's Web" (2006) and "Aliens in the Attic" (2009). Despite a few stumbles like "All About Steve" (2009) and "John Carter" (2012), the ever amusing Church maintained his rejuvenated career with one quality turn after another.

Together for five years, before getting engaged; took Church's name though they have yet to marry

Cody Church

Daughter

Born c. 2004; mother, Mia Church

Education

Name

Harlingen High School

University of North Texas

Notes

"Everybody wants to be a household name. But they don't want to be a household commodity." – Church in The New York Post, Dec. 2, 1993

"I'm as dedicated to ranching as I am to movies," he blurts, before pausing to reconsider. "Maybe that's not true. I'm a rancher, and a father and a dude who works in movies." – Church who runs four working cattle ranches in Texas, to Entertainment Weekly, May 11, 2007